audio-talk

Hi guys, I'm currently building a demonstrator model of one of the lenco's.
The intention is to have one avaliable for people to listen to, or possibly send out to people if they want to listen to one.
Its at the stage where the plinth is glued up and curing.
Im wondering wether to build it as I would usually, i.e to fit an arm that is in the rega/ jelco 9" range or wether to build it to accommodate a 12" arm.
The deck would end up quite abit wider, potentially up to 20" wide so as opposed to around 17/18" ish that it has been for the ones ive done so far.
To be honest I'm not sure many people run 12" arms, i know a couple of us have stuff like the sme 3012 but not wether they use them on a day to day basis.

I would obviously be able to make one that could take a 12" arm, but it would look odd being the size that could accommodate one but having a conventional length arm fitted, that I'm sure most people use.

Its a question that has been bothering me since I decided to do it and was unable to decide as I really don't know how prevalent 12" arms really are

I'm leaning towards building it to accommodate standard arms, but i thought id ask you lot before taking a saw to the blank plinth once it's cured for 24 hours.

Cheers ant

How many peeps use 12 inch arms or would with a Leno?

How many peeps have more normal arms?

Which 'looks'better?

Sorry for seeming thick, for what ultimate reason would peeps be using the demonstrator for?

I would think the Rega arm (or similar) would be best for demo use.

I was looking for 12" arms on Ebay recently, they aint not cheap.

The reason for the demo one is so that I have one for people to listen to, so if a prospective customer doesn't want to go in blind, and wants an idea of what they are getting first, they can.

Eg, you mike contact me and say you are considering buying one off me, but before you spend your hard earned you would rather hear it first.
I can now say certainly Mr homes, pop on over, have a listen to the demo one and see what you think.
Or in the case of you guys, I'd be able to stick it in a box and send it up to you to see what you thought before committing.
Tbh the last thing I'd want would be to build one for a customer and them go 'dont like it, want my dosh back' because I'd look silly and be out of pocket for all the work put in.
I think you're right phil, the cost of a 3012 et al is ruddy dear, just typed tonearm into ebay and out of the few hundred that came up perhaps 10 were that size. And at least over a grand

on your demo you need the best arm possible. In reality people hear the whole package, if the arm is limiting the soundbthe dec looses an order.

You could make a magnet bearing arm of 10 to 12 inch that kills a poor 9" arm. 12" may not be optimal, or it may. But 9" is not.

Firstly, nothing DIY. You are looking to appeal to the masses, not the mad

The most common and popularly used tonearm is a Rega and we know that a well fettled version can really sing, so I would make Rega geometry your target.

Have a look here. http://www.vinylengine.com/tonearm_data ... i=&cw=&mp=

I did this little search for you and it throws up 135 arms with the same geometry as the Rega, being the 222mm pivot to spindle distance. Some of these have different mounting hole sizes, but if you made a few interchangeable mounting plates, any arm with this geometry could be used, thus facilitating any punter with their own similar arm they want to try. Because the TT is a Lenco, it is likely a Rega type would be a popular choice. When you can afford it, get an Audiomods or better still, buy the conversion kit and with an old Rega arm, do it yourself for a first class demonstrator.

Just my thoughts on your question. Oh, and remember, a Rega is 9.5 inches.

8.72", interesting.

Here's a quality 9" arm:

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... ID=EBAY-GB

I was thinking the same quality with whihc you made a workmanlike saleable plinth you could make an arm. Both could be described as diy at this stage. Neither need to keep that position.

You could make as good an arm to arms as your plinth is to plinths.

Hmm, 9.331 inches I think.

22.2/2.545=8.72298625

Paul Barker wrote:Here's a quality 9" arm:

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... ID=EBAY-GB

Yep, but it sits in a minority market, generally inconvenient or mismatched with modern cartridges and Ant wants to make his demonstrator available to the widest spectrum of punters as possible, I would have thought. Anyway, it's not the length that counts but what you do with it.........so I am told

Paul Barker wrote:22.2/2.545=8.72298625

Yes, but I thought arm length is recorded as effective length rather than spindle to to pivot length. My bad if I am wrong. Rega's are commonly referred to as 9" arms when they are nearer 9.5" in my estimation and it doesn't detract from them being the most prolific on the market with 134 sharing the geometry which really is my point.

I was just going by the figure quoted 222 against the name of the sme 3009 referring to it being the 9" version of their two 3009/3012. I have no knowledge of where measurements are from and to in either case.

I'm not replying to be argumentative, we are good friends. Just having a chta really, because I am rather bored these days with the small amount of time I can allocate to internet, it seems to have gone to sleep. So keeping a conversation going rather than watching Police Interceptors or Jeremy Kyle.

I get to see plenty of both working in homes all day.

I can see that it is an idea to use a common position for base adapter. I do know that Darren had a bit of trouble with the ofcentric circle the fits all arms design, which others since copied. I recall him telling me on the phone they'd at least on that occasion copied something which didn't work at all well. Just in case Anth was considering the eccentric disk.

I suppose a lengthy slot in right orientation for linear adjustment towards or away might work. Whether that would stretch between 9" (nominal figures used no specifics intended or emplied) and 12"? Seems a large jump.

My point really is not so much to make the plinth appear to fit the prospects needs, those details could be ironed out at the time of the order when a suitable mount psoition arranged as required.

No I am going on my memory of vsac. Anything in a room with one week link in the chain was trashed by that week link. A person listening to a package cannot hera whta he wants to buy. If anything, you could sell a bad plinth with a truly great sounding arm and cartridge easier than a top notch plinth with poor arm and cartridge.

As Anth is a diyer yet trying to make it professionally his best chance of a top sounding arm is in my view a magnetic one like Will demonstrated so well for us. Anth could make a really professional looking one.

Sorry took me a while to suss Ant isn't just collecting these things!